DENVER — What a great start. What a great finish.

Kobe Bryant made Phil Jackson's second debut with the Lakers a smashing success Wednesday night, hitting a long jumper with 0.6 seconds left in overtime to lift Los Angeles to a 99-97 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

"The win wasn't important for me, it was important for the team," Jackson said. "But getting the win is twice as nice."

Bryant finished with 33 points, including eight in overtime. After he swished home the game-winner, he clenched his fist and ran to the other end of the court, chest-bumping with teammate Devean George to celebrate his biggest shot of this very young season.

After a timeout, Denver's Voshon Lenard had a good look at a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it missed. Jackson walked off the bench with a smile and pointed toward a group of Lakers fans who staked out the corner of the Pepsi Center.

"We had some luck with us tonight," Jackson said.